A statement read out on behalf of Olivia Pratt-Korbel's devastated dad addressed his daughter's killer directly - although cowardly Thomas Cashman had refused to appear in the dock for his sentencing.
Cashman, 34, formerly of Grenadier Drive, West Derby, was due to appear at Manchester Crown Court on Monday, April 3 to be sentenced after being found guilty of murdering 9-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. After arriving in court this morning surrounded by armed police, it was later confirmed he would not appear in the courtroom.
Cashman was convicted of one of the most atrocious crimes in Merseyside's history. Justice Amanda Yip, who presided over his trial, will be required to set a minimum term which the 34-year-old must serve behind bars before he is considered eligible for release.
READ MORE: Armed police surround road as Thomas Cashman arrives in court ahead of sentencing
Before his sentencing the prosecution read out a number of personal statements from Olivia's family. Barrister Henry Riding, a member of the prosecution team, read out a statement from John Francis Pratt, Olivia’s dad.
Mr Pratt was sat in the public gallery as Mr Riding read his statement.
He said: "I have been asked to do the impossible and put into words how the murder of my beautiful daughter has affected me. No words can make you understand the pain I’m feeling.
"My heart has been forever broken by your actions. You took the decision to shoot into Olivia’s home with no regard to who was there.
“I want you to know you have changed my life forever. We will never be a whole family again. You did that to us.”
Mr Pratt said he moved away from Liverpool for a period. His statement continued: “It was a constant reminder of the loss of my beautiful daughter.”
Mr Pratt “lost precious time” due to the COVID pandemic, but said he saw Olivia for first time in nearly two years on August 21. Mr Riding said on his behalf: “Little did I know that was the day before her death.”
Mr Pratt said Olivia asked him: “Dad did you have a shave just for me today?”
“I replied yes, just for you. The next day she was ripped away from me.”
Mr Pratt said he has “nightmares about how she died”.
Mr Riding said, reading from the statement: “Every day they remind me of Olivia and what I have lost. Those four girls and my two older daughters are the only reason I’m still here.
“Each day I feel completely overwhelmed and I don’t know how I’ll cope. I can’t stay at my home. It’s a constant reminder of the loss of Olivia.
“I want to visit Olivia and sometimes sit outside the cemetery. If I go inside, it will all seem real. My heart is broken every time I hear Olivia’s name on the television.
“Olivia will never call me dad again. All I want is my baby back and roasting marshmallows as I promised her on the last time I saw her.
“I will never get to keep this promise or give her the Christmas presents I bought her. She will never get the opportunity to fall in love and have her own children.
“I will never get the opportunity to see my daughter on her wedding day. Most of all, I’ll never get to see her grow into the beautiful woman she was destined to become.
“We have been robbed of her future and the amazing teenager and adult she was destined to become. She will be forever nine.”
The ECHO will be giving live updates from the courtroom throughout his hearing.
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